Pujdak, Daniel F.
(Sept. 6, 1983 - Jun. 21, 2007)Unlike the brave firefighters who died in the World Trade Center tragedy, Daniel F. Pujdak has a street named after him in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, and his name is on a wall of the quarters of Ladder 146, where he worked until his death. "The name Daniel Pujdak will take its place on this wall," said New York City Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta during the unveiling ceremonies, "so that generations of firefighters will hear this story and remember this great man."
Never before did the Pujdak name receive as much attention in the New York newspapers. The first Pujdak in Brooklyn - Frank Pujdak, who came from Poland in 1892 - was an ordinary factory worker. Daniel F. Pujdak was born and raised in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, the son of Leo and Christina Pujdak, teachers in public and private schools. In September 2005, four years after graduation from St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, where his father taught religion. Daniel Pujdak joined the FDNY, as someone said, "not for glory but because he loved helping people."
His death, mourned by tens of thousands of firefighters, friends and relatives, happened while he was on his way with 100 pounds of gear to the roof of an old building, where someone had left a cigarette on a window sill, to puncture a hole for water to get at the fire. It was dangerous job. As a result, he lost his balance on a ladder and fell fifty feet to the ground. The firemen rushed him to Bellevue Hospital. It was too late.
Funeral services were held for him at St. Cecilia's Catholic Church and his remains were cremated. Over 143 years, he was the 1135th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty.
From: Edward Pinkowski (2009)